Stevie Wonder took fans to ‘Higher Ground’ Saturday night at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, reinforcing what a tremendous singer, musician and performer he is.
Escorted on stage by his daughter Aisha Morris and son Kailand Morris, the 74-year-old greeted the sold-out crowd and immediately connected with them in only a way that he can.
“I’m not here to preach to you, I’m here to teach you how I feel,” Wonder said at the start of the show before opening with his newest song, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart.”
Atlanta was the sixth of 11 stops on his “Sing your song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” tour, based on the recently released single. The singer said it is a call for “joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, peace over war.” Wonder, who performed at the Democratic National Convention in August, embarked on a tour that mostly stops in cities in swing states such as North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin.
While Wonder didn’t play all of his biggest hits (a nearly impossible task given how many there are), he certainly had several fan-favorites to accompany the new single.
He chose several classics like “Master Blaster (Jammin’),” “Higher Ground,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” “Sir Duke,” “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and “Superstition.” He also included others not as often performed, such as “Village Ghetto Land,” mixed in with a few notable covers.
Understandably so, Wonder took an intermission midway through the night. Singer Sheléa artfully filled the void and delighted the audience with her voice and musicality. Singer MAJOR sang during the break as well, before Sheléa accompanied Wonder back to the stage for a duet.
Wonder started the second half of the show with “Joy Inside my Tears,” accompanied by a Higher Calling choir, telling the audience he had to fight to not get emotional during the song.
Throughout the night Wonder joked with the audience and told stories. It almost felt as if you were sitting in his dining room reminiscing with an old friend. While he did highlight the meaning of the tour, he did so in a way that would not offend, steering almost completely clear of political references.
While the audience would have happily stayed longer, the singer joked he was ‘paying for overtime’ as the show ran past 11 p.m.
This marks one of Wonder’s first full tours in years. He heads to Detroit next, then on to Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Grand Rapids, before the final stop of the tour on Nov. 2 in Chicago.
About the Author
